Lawyer faces immigration charges

Operation Maxim police investigated a European visa scheme

A London solicitor has been charged with immigration offences.

Christopher Christodoulides, 37, from Winchmore Hill, was charged on Tuesday with "conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry" to the UK, police said.

He is due to appear at Croydon Magistrates Court on Wednesday, having been arrested on 26 February at Dover.

The arrest followed a joint operation between the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Metropolitan Police, and Romanian authorities.

Bucharest inquiries

Kent police arrested Mr Christodoulides at Dover on behalf of detectives from Operation Maxim, who were carrying out an investigation into alleged abuses of the European Community Association Agreements (ECAA) visa scheme involving Romanian nationals.

The ECAA visa process is intended for people who want to set up their own businesses in the UK.

Police conducted inquiries in London and Bucharest after Mr Christodoulides' arrest.

He also faces a charge of conspiring to defraud the secretary of state.

Earlier this year the National Audit Office highlighted a number of flaws in the way the Home Office operated the ECAA scheme.

In April Home Office Minister Beverley Hughes resigned after it became clear she had been warned about alleged immigration abuses involving Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants using the ECAA scheme.

She had earlier denied knowing about the allegations.